Modernizing the Nuclear Security Enterprise

Ensuring that the nation's nuclear weapons remain safe and reliable in the absence of underground nuclear testing is extraordinarily complicated and requires state-of-the-art experimental and computing facilities as well as the skills of top scientists in the field. The responsibility for managing these weapons rests with the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

NNSA is responsible for managing its contractors' nuclear weapon- and nonproliferation-related national security activities in research and development laboratories, production plants, and other facilities known collectively as the nuclear security enterprise , as shown in figure 1.

Figure 1: NNSA's Nuclear Security Enterprise Sites

For more on GAO's reports and recommendations, see the key reports tab above.

Looking for our recommendations? Click on any report to find each associated recommendation and its current implementation status.